


Tripping over the Trigger

by 2tothepower



Category: Azur Lane
Genre: Action, Battleships, Bullet Hell, Espionage, F/F, Gen, Shipgirls, Special Ops, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-01-02 10:34:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21160253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2tothepower/pseuds/2tothepower
Summary: (Updates are semi-frequent, so please subscribe to make sure you catch new chapters!!)The Beaver Squadron is a band of inseparable  sisters that have served the Eagle Union Navy to the best of their abilities. When they’re enlisted into the Azur Lane, however, the inseparable begin to drift...Follow Spence on her journey to find herself, her place in the war against the Sirens, and her composure under the stress the position of vanguard leader brings her.





	1. November Echo Whiskey

_ You know… There’s not a week that goes by without me asking myself what exactly makes the ocean blue so… _

_ Alluring? _

_ Well, uhm… Even though I’m somewhat certain that isn’t the right word for it… _

_ Th-the sentiment I’m trying to convey still stands! Ever since I was little, I’d always been quite fond of water. W-well, I mean— We all were, my sisters and I. Every day, we’d spend our days pacing up and down the side of the Kennebec River in our small hometown of Bath, Maine. We’d always take a drive to the beach on Sundays, skipping stones, making idle conversation, collecting shells… all under the overcast dreary of the frigid Maine sky. _

_ Although… At that time, there were only 3 of us. Fletcher, the oldest one, has always been more like a mother to me than our biological one. She’s the sort that always has her nose in some sort of book, or is jotting something down… I suppose the desire to be actively thinking is why she micromanages all her younger siblings so well. According to her, the family began in New Jersey, where she had stayed for a good chunk of her childhood until they decided to start over again in a small coastal California town, where our father net a job as an industrial engineer. _

_ Charles Ausburne came into the world not long after that. She was always quite small, but despite her youthful appearance and short stature, she’s still the second oldest, through and through. She’s always kind, and has never hesitated to help stand up for me or her younger sisters when they felt put down by something. However, despite the happy little paradise it had been, work demanded that they move. And so, they packed their bags and headed northeast. _

_ It was then, in that small city of Bath… Where I, Spence, was brought into the world. I don’t think any other place will ever be as easy for me to call home as Bath was. The blissful throes of youth keeping our spirits jaunty every cold evening, our smiles as bright as the trace few rays of sun that peeked through the overcast. With several years passing, we had figured we finally found our home. After me had come Thatcher, who… _

_ Erm-... _

_ … _

_ Let’s just say she’s the rotten egg in the carton. _

_ Moving on… _

_ We had lived in Maine for a good, long while before we began to travel for our father’s work again. Hopping town to town, all while gaining our two youngest sisters: Foote and Aulick. Before we knew it, we had a full house— and our parents were starting to get too old to support us. The worst part was that none of us were particularly good at anything. We’re all terribly middle-of-the-road… With us changing schools so often, we all were barely scraping by, with no real future ahead of us. And me? I was stuck as the middle child, not old enough to be respected by my younger siblings, and too young to be treated on the same level as my older ones. It felt… Oddly dreary, as if our lives hit a dead-end before they even truly began. _

_ But then, one night... That one, fateful night, in the middle of another awkward, painfully silent dinner… Fletcher said those five words that paved the way for us all. _

_ “I’m Enrolling in the Navy!” _

_ She said it was the best course of action for her to take as the big sister. If it kept mom and dad out of the workforce and well fed, she’d do it in a heartbeat. And so she did, with the impressionable Charles Ausburne tailing right behind her. Before I could even process it all, I was left behind, lost and dazed as time blurred aimlessly. _

_ It took many a sleepless, thoughtful night, but eventually, I had decided that it would be for the best if I followed in their footsteps. And and so did Thatcher, and then Aulick and Foote… And now, it’s been long enough that I’ve lost track of how long we’ve been enlisted in the Eagle Union Navy, put into an experimental wing that uses alien technology to compact warfare, meshing the gap between ship and sailor. _

_ Fletcher, _

_ Charles Ausburne, _

_ Spence, _

_ Thatcher, _

_ Foote, _

_ Aulick… _

_ Those aren’t even our real names. _

_ At least, they weren’t… _

_ It's as if the ship you’re assigned to swallows your identity whole, eating up more and more of who you are until you and it become one. It’s to the point that I can’t even remember what we used to be called… None of us can. _

_ But when it comes to the Navy, those sorts of things don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. What matters is— _

KKRRACK! the loud feedback of the intercom directly above the daydreamer had screeched a shrill crackle as she practically fell back off her seat and onto the Mess Hall floor, a voice beginning to drone out as all the girls that had been dining looked up at their nearest speaker. “All ships, report to the dock at thirteen-hundred, on the dot. A mandatory physical examination will be commencing. Keep in mind that the results of this test can and WILL affect your chances of being enrolled in the Azur Lane. Do your best.” And with an uneventful click, it had ended. “Wh— Thirteen hundred hours? That’s in like 5 minutes—!” Charles Ausburne sputtered loudly in the silence, turning heads and raising eyebrows. “Crap—! We all just got our food-!!” She had begun to shovel her cafeteria food frenetically, and shortly afterwards, everyone else in the mess hall started to follow suit. Spence, still in a petrified daze from such a sudden and loud noise, sat there, totally still, as she stared blankly at her bland meal. The Azur Lane… she thought. 

_ Azur… Lane… _


	2. Uniform November India Tango

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The physical exam comes, and brings with it new anxieties about the girls’ performance in combat situations.

The sun glared high in the sky as all the units in the small naval base were lined up along the dock, shoulder-to-shoulder at ease, their shadows casting on the concrete beneath their feet. All the units had been wearing their standardized sailor uniforms, a simple long sleeve coat and pants combo that was staple of the Eagle Union.  
Charles Ausburne, standing a little bit woozily, would groan under her lips, struggling to hold her composure. “You know you shouldn’t eat so fast—!” Fletcher would scold in a hushed tone from the side of her mouth, catching a bit of Ausburne in her periphery, “You’re seasick before you even touch the water—!”  
“I’ll be fine,” she would whisper back, popping her neck, “Justice always prevails.”  
And, with that, everyone’s attention was drawn to the base of the dock, a firm clack of a high heel stiffly echoing down, followed by the whipcrack of an instructor’s baton. She was most definitely not wearing a standard sailor outfit, but rather a pesudo-stereotypical teacher outfit, with a long white lab coat draped over a sweater paired with leggings and a dress-like skirt. “ATTEEEEENTION!” She’d call, a sharp tone to her voice akin to an old woman who had lost her patience. Almost immediately, everyone would snap to attention as instructed, rigid as a board. The woman would begin to pace up and down the dock, glaring at everyone lined up one by one as she began to speak. “Welcome to your physical,” she’d say, “I am your instructor for the day. I am the USS Langley, but you can all call me MISS Langley! I will be monitoring every single one of you nobodies to see if you have what it takes to be in the Azur Lane! We want nothing but the best of the best, so if you already know you don’t fit the bill, you can go right on back to your bed and live your petty career policing boats going too fast in the littorals for the rest of your miserable life.”  
As Langley crossed Thatcher’s vision, she would suppress a snort, murmuring over to Charles Ausburne with a smirk on her face. “(Would you like a toy with your kid’s meal, Langly ma’am? Snrk—)” Thatcher would get a stealthy jab from Ausburne when Langley wasn’t looking. “(Shut up!)” She’d quietly pipe back, unable to hold back her own snickering. “(She’s shorter than me…)”  
Spence had mulled over Ms. Langley’s words, dread sinking in her stomach more and more with each word. She wouldn’t be good enough. Even if she got in by some stroke of luck, would she even like what she does there? Being subjected to the horrors of war? There’s no way she could handle it. The Azur Lane isn’t for her.  
Spence would start to break formation, before a soft palm pressed against her sternum. Fletcher, standing to her left, had stopped her, her eyes trailing over to Spence’s. “(It was a rhetorical statement,)” she’d reassure her in whispers… But by that point it was too late. Langley was quick to notice the chaos ensuing from the sisters.  
“... Furthermore, you’ve gotta walk the walk! We don’t want dogs with no bite! —“ In the middle of her speech, she’d stop directly in front of the two, sharply pivoting to face them properly. “I did not say ‘at ease’, girls!” She’d sharply quip, “so just WHAT are you doing breaking formation, huh?! Give me your names!”  
“USS Fletcher!” she’d bark back, “I am her older sister!”  
“U-USS Sp-S-S-Spence! I’m her- uhm… younger sister-... m-ma’am...”  
“Say it again, Don’t stutter this time. I don’t acknowledge words that aren’t Ar-ti-cu-la-ted with a marine’s bark.”  
“Spen— nnnce...”  
“Again!”  
“S-Spence, ma’am!”  
“AGAIN!”  
“USS SPENCE, I’M HER YOUNGER SISTER, MA’AM!”  
“Well with all due re-spect, Flet-cher and ‘Suh-Suh-Suh-Suh-pence…. Now is NOT the time for a little pow-wow! When I’m talking, you sit there and LISTEN! Now, are you done holding up this damn meeting, or do you want to have a tea-party while the sentiment is still WARM?!”  
Gulp— Spence swallowed her fears, speaking up at the top of her lungs. “W- with all due resp-“  
“Start over!”  
“With all due respect, I—“  
“AGAIN!”  
“With all due respect, ma’am, I don’t believe I would make a positive addition to the Azur Lane!!”

And with that, the dock fell silent.


	3. Tango Echo Sierra Tango

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spence is put to the test, whether she likes it or not.

_The warmth of the sunlight through the hangar skylight streamed down on our favorite spot that one day in the perfect position to where it bathed us both in warmth. I sometimes wonder how long ago it was, but… I honestly feel as if the memory is more important than anything. “Here!” Big sister Charles Ausburne had said, fist extended proudly towards me. “You were the one that said we could be called The Little Beavers, right?” At first, I was EXTREMELY embarrassed. After all, that name was one that I had come up with in my head a long time ago. I used to recite heroic-sounding speeches under my breath to help me keep calm— but Ausburne had caught on quite quickly. “Oh,” I had sputtered— “It’s— just a dumb nickname-“ “It’s anything BUT dumb!” She would retort proudly. The big, goofy smile and her wide-open, determined look didn’t falter for a second— she was clearly serious. “On land or sea, Beavers see it through! We’ll get it done with nothing but sticks if we’ve gotta!” She’d chuckle, nodding approvingly. She clearly didn’t mean anything bad by repeating those things back to me— but it really didn’t help me feel any less embarrassed. “The real reason I bring this up…” She would continue, “Is ‘cause I like it, too! And so do the other girls! And so…” she’d open her palm, revealing a glimmering tag of a beaver with a headband and bow, taking aim for the sky. “I got it officiated as our squadron name.” At first, I was SHOCKED. I REALLY didn’t want something like that to be tossed around so importantly— especially with how dumb of an idea it was. “Usually the squadron tag goes to the leader of the group, buuuut… You came up with the name, so I want you to have it.” And with that, Charles Asburne rested the emblem into my hand, nodding once more. The sunlight made her long and puffy blonde hair glisten… That’s all that I can remember._   
_... How much she looked like a hero to me at that moment._

Fifteen seconds. For fifteen painfully uneventful seconds, the dock was completely and utterly silent. It was a deafening roar of pressure pounding into the eardrums of the Fletcher sisters— most especially the anxiety-ridden Spence, who had been standing outside formation the whole time. Everyone’s gazes peppered her like a pincushion, each needle of dread pinned right up and down her spine like an acupuncture gone wrong. She couldn’t move, couldn’t speak- trapped in this situation she had put herself into. “Well well well...” Langley would now speak up, a very obvious hint of agitation tinging her voice. “I was just about to ask for a volunteer to demonstrate how exams will go… But if this girl wants to do it so badly, I guess I’ll just have to let her. I hope you’re ready, ‘Suh-suh-suh-suh-pence’, Because this is gonna be trial by fire. Now DOCK YOUR BOAT!” That last sentence was so sudden and harsh that it shook everyone on the dock— sending Spence staggering back and nodding profusely, standing in the middle of the dock, now facing the sea. “For the few uninitiated,” Langley would explain happily, as if that had never happened, “To undock, you’re going to have to gain enough speed to reliably clear this platform for long enough to ensure you connect properly to your ship without falling straight into the sea! As you do that, you must declare its name and call it for battle, as Miss Spence will display.”

_ Undocking. Undocking…  _

_ That’s okay, this is fine.  _

_ You do this all the time. You know how to do this.  _

_ Just keep calm. _

Spence had locked up, staring at the ocean blue with no real desire to be this sect’s demonstrator. 

_ _

“Well?” Langley would call, brow perked,  ** _“GET MOVING!”_ **

_ _

Almost immediately Spence would stagger, before breaking into a clumsy scramble down the pavement, nearly tripping several times. “Wuuaahh— Eep!”

_ _

Langley would cup her hands around her mouth, projecting her voice as Spence did this. “Call your ship to battle!”

_ _

_ “S-spence—!”  _

As she began to prime herself for undocking, further down the harbor, one of the Fletcher-class Destroyers would begin to glow a pale blue, resonating with the call. The turf under her feet was beginning to run out, the ocean appearing so far beneath her—! Now or never, she HAS to jump. 

_ “Let’s— Do our best!!!” _

_ _

At that moment… The magic happened. The projection of the warship would destabilize, bursting into a myriad of milky blue Wisdom Cubes— the fundamental building block of this new technology. They would begin to fling into the sky like leaves caught in a whirlwind, funneling down as they swarmed the falling Spence. She felt the equipment begin to append itself perfectly— the rudders adding heels to her flat shoes, the bulk of the “ship” clamping to her back, extending as a rectangular metal pack that hung like a quiver and two mechanical arms; one with a gun at the end, the other with a torpedo rack. As soon as she had finished transforming, however— she met the water headfirst.

The salty ocean would encroach around her entire body as she sat there in stunned silence for a few moments… Before her buoyancy tank shot her straight up into the air in a watery cascade, landing hesitantly on her feet as she stood on the water. 

_ _

“Excellent, ‘Suh-suh-suh-suh-pence’!” Langley would call out, “Now next time, try to land on your feet on your first go.”

_ _

This made a few people laugh— causing Spence to shrivel up apprehensively. She would start to murmur passive little apologies under her breath, as Langley began to speak once more. 

_ _

“Now that we got undocking out of the way… Now we can get on to the bulk of the test. You are going to spar someone who has graciously accepted to help us commence testing today. We’re going to test your speed, evasion, firepower, accuracy, and endurance! If you don’t do well here, this may translate into EXTRA training after this is all said and done.”

_ _

That made almost everyone swallow dryly. Training is grueling— no WAY anyone wants to have to be stuck doing MORE. 

_ _

“Well, with that said,” She’d continue, “You can come out now.”

And with that, the waters began to waver menacingly. 

_ _

A new young woman would skate across the water, standing tall as her white hooded cloak wavered in the air, its red trim clashing with the gentle blue of the sea, while her short, white hair complimented it. Her gear was much larger in comparison to Spence’s— resembling more of two slices of a ship’s bow, armed with bulky, intimidating turrets. 

_ _

“This is the USS Denver,” Langley would declare, “And she is our wonderful volunteer. Denver, you can start when you’re ready!”

_ _

And, with little warning, her turrets would begin to take aim, firing mercilessly as streaking, glowing bullets coast above the water at a moderate pace. It wasn’t long after until they began to speed up, however, the spray whizzing past and grazing Spence, who shrieked in response.

_ _

“Don’t just stand there,” The instructor yelled, “Do something!”

_ _

Spence would already be instinctively trying to maneuver around the attacks, her heart rate beating like an overclocked drum as she squirmed on the water feebly, squeaking terrified pips all the while. It wasn’t long before she began to try to move, pumping her legs left, then right, so on and so forth. It’s a motion not unlike rollerblading, only above a whole lot of water and under fire. A bullet nearly grazed her back as she tried to steer left, scrambling across the water every which way as she tried to fire back with her peashooter of a gun, which Denver would easily be able to avoid. At this point, everyone on the dock had been watching, crowded along the edge and peeking over shoulders— until a voice cut through the chaos like nothing else. The voice of Charles Ausburne. 

_ _

_ “You can do this, Spence!” _ She would scream,  _ “We’re the beavers! Go full steam ahead, And JUSTICE will prevail!” _

_ _

And— for some reason… She felt something fire up within her from her big sister’s words— although she didn’t know what, exactly. Everything was a blur, as the blinding light of bullets were all she could see! All she could manage now was to duck and cover, her eyes clamping tightly shut. What’s happening?! 

_   
  
_

Her ears pounded with the deafening roar of silence, darkness being the only thing greeting her closed eyes as a voice slowly began to muffle into the soundscape. No… Multiple! Out of confusion, she would stand up cautiously, hands still over her face as she peeked between her fingers. In front of her was Denver— although she was downed, back to the water with some real substantial damage to her equipment. Her ears hadn't been ringing from the cacophony of dissociative silence, but because of an explosion! Everyone on the dock was cheering wildly from the upset, with Langley standing there with a sort of look on her face that was kind of difficult to get a read on. 

_ _

“I… did it?” Spence had stuttered in confusion, looking blankly at the applauding other members of her station.

_ _

“You didn’t just ‘do it’, Langley would state, “You passed. You passed with flying colors.”

_ _

That statement sent a flush of red to her face from all the praise. “Guys— really, I don’t deserve any congratulations, it was just dumb luck…”

_ _

“Are you KIDDING?!” Ausburne shouted, waving her arms- “That was NUTS!” Fletcher would nod in agreement, clapping patiently. 

_ _

“See, ‘Suh-suh-suh-suh-pence’? You don’t know that ya got in you ‘till ya try.” Langly would tap the corner of the dock with her baton. “Now get back up here.”

_ _

Spence would walk to the shore, her ship undocking as a fluttering whirlwind of pale blue cubes, migrating back to where they had been and rebuilding into the Fletcher-class warship it had been before. 

_ _

“Now,” Langley would call out, once Spence had returned and everyone resumed formation, “For obvious reasons, Denver is gonna need some time to recoup. One hour break for repairs. Train while you can. DISMISSED!” Denver was being hauled off slowly by a repair boat as the group would scatter, the air growing casual once more as everyone started to flock away. 

_ _

However, before Spence could leave, she’d be grabbed by the collar lightly by Langley. This made her squeal instinctively, her muscles tensing up as she immediately started to quiver like a leaf. 

_ _

“And next time,” the ambassador would add, “Don’t go all out on an ally.” Her instructor’s baton would be flicked from the side, the tip bopping Spence on the nose lightly. “Got it?”

_ _

“Y— yes’m— It’ll never happen again!”

_ _

“Good.” And with that, Langley let go, hopping off the dock and onto the shore to meet up with Denver. 

_   
  
  
  
_


	4. Meanwhile...

In a dark, dry room, someone had been watching all of this unfold. Numerous screens were dimly glowing, providing the only source of light behind mountains of empty instant food containers, snack bags, and water bottles.  
The figure obscured by the light’s shadow had leaned into this one feed in particular, her thumbs hooked around the rim of the table, the blue light adding a soft glow to the edge of her green hair.   
“Most interesting…” They purred under their breath, intrigued, “I may just have to look into this myself, nya…”


End file.
